Solo Saga: Priya's Pain
by VibeQuake
Summary: My name is Priya the Platypus and I am the mate of OWCA's top agent. I'm expecting my fourth child at age nineteen but my pregnancy is riddled with pain and illness. To make matters worse, I might not even be able to reap the reward of my suffering. I've lived through a lot in my life but this time I'm not sure I'll be able to survive… (may not make sense if read as standalone)
1. The Beginning

**NEW STORY!**

 **This takes place just after Hazel's Mission ended, though this chapter takes place during HM.**

 **IT'S ALL ABOUT PRIYA GUYS**

 **Be warned, this is not a happy story. You can tell by the way it's titled Priya's Pain.**

…

 **Priya's POV**

It's been two hours since I visited Artemis.

I'm at home alone, making our bed. I don't feel well. My stomach is churning, and it's taking all my restraint to not throw up. I keep having to blink spots out of my vision.

As I pick up one of our cushions from the floor, a sudden pain stabs through my forehead, making me drop the cushion with a cry. I lean on the bed for support, one hand clutching my forehead.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" I scream. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

But the pain doesn't go away. As soon as my head stops hurting, I stand up straight and immediately get hit with a wave of dizziness. I stumble backwards and hit the wall. "Please go away," I whimper. "It hurts."

The pain-god doesn't take sympathy on me. In fact, he adds to my discomfort by doubling my nausea. I stagger into the bathroom and throw up into the toilet. I go to the sink to wash my paws but I have to grip the sides of the porcelain as my vision goes completely black for a brief second. I raise a hand to my forehead but that's the last thing I do before the blackness completely takes my vision and I collapse to the ground.

…

"Priya!"

I open my eyes woozily to see the worried face of my mother-in-law swim into view.

"What time is it?" I slur.

"About midday," Pearl replies, looking incredibly worried. "Goodness, what happened? Are you okay?"

She reaches out to help me sit up but I close my eyes again. "I'm not even half a week pregnant and the problems have already started."

"Problems?" repeats Pearl.

I tell her what happened. "I feel rotten," I say quietly.

Pearl feels my forehead. "Oh, Priya! Your forehead is very hot and you look sick. Let's take you to Apollo."

"Yes, Apollo," I murmur, half-delusional. "I need to slap him for not telling me how horrible this was going to be."

"Maybe he didn't know," says Pearl fairly.

But when we get to Apollo and Pearl relays what happened, I see Apollo looking slightly guilty. He tucks me into one of the beds. As Pearl leaves, I confront the doctor. "You knew," I state. "You knew as soon as you discovered I was pregnant. You knew that this was going to happen."

Apollo has the good grace to look even guiltier. "Yes," he admits quietly. "It's what I wanted to talk to my sister about."

"A _rtemis_ knows?" I slam my head onto the pillow. "Wait, I was just there! Why didn't you tell me then?"

"I didn't want to worry you," Apollo says, clearly trying to calm me down.

The pain in my head gets worse. "Isn't there some kind of anaesthetic you can give me to stop the pain?" I ask in frustration.

He shakes his head. "Not without harming the baby in some way."

"Great. Is there anything you _can_ do?"

"I can give you a painkiller-."

"Then do it."

"You didn't let me finish," says Apollo patiently. "I can give you a painkiller which will make the headache go away temporarily but when it comes back, it will affect you more badly."

I think about that for a moment. My decision is made for me when my brain decides to replicate the feeling of being on fire. "Just do it!" I snap, clutching my forehead.

Apollo goes away and comes back with a syringe full of a blue liquid, which he injects into me. Sure enough, all my pain dies down.

"How long will it last?" I ask.

"No more than twenty-four hours," replies Apollo. "I must say, you're being really brave."

"Save it."

I'm annoyed with Apollo right now. He didn't tell me that I would become sick, despite the fact that he knew I'd find out anyway. Maybe he didn't expect it to happen so soon. It doesn't matter either way. He kept crucial information from me and as such I was unprepared for the pain. If he had told me, I could have been prepared. There was literally no point in not telling me.

Apollo looks a little hurt but he nods like he knows he deserves it. Then he leaves. I roll onto my side, facing away from him, and try to sleep.

I must have gone to sleep because when I next open my eyes, it's early morning. Apollo is tidying away something from surgery. "Apollo?" I call. "Can I go?"

Apollo turns to me. The state of him makes me feel shocked. He has bags under his eyes, his hair is unkempt, and his face holds the look of someone who hates himself right now. "Are you okay?" I ask. "What happened?"

"Surgery," Apollo replies dully. "James the Hooper. He had a spike through his chest. Worked on him for almost sixteen hours straight but…he didn't make it."

James is dead…! James the Whale Song Singing Double Breasted Angle Hooper has never liked me or Perry and neither I nor Perry really liked him—which is natural, I suppose, since they're the natural enemy of the platypus in the wild—but…I can barely believe it.

"I'm so sorry," I say. "Do you need anything?"

He shakes his head and runs his fingers through his hair. "All you need to do is rest. You can go home if you want but only if you promise to take it easy."

"Are there any other patients here?"

"No, but I need to stay to fill out the paperwork."

"Then I'll stay and keep you company. Even if that means someone to just be here if you want someone to talk to."

Apollo manages a smile. "Priya, I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

There's no need to ask what he's referring to.

"It's just that…when you came to me yesterday, you were so depressed. I was worried about what your mental health would do if I told you when you were so vulnerable. Believe me when I say this: when I headed to Artemis's office, I was intending to tell you. But when you came out, you had a smile on your face and you looked so much better. I didn't want to ruin that just yet. If you had come back this morning and still felt fine, I promise I would have told you then. It's just that…I didn't want to make you feel worse."

He looks nervously at me. "It's okay," I say. "It's just all this pain that's making me feel more crabby than usual."

"You have a right to be."

There's a pause. "Is there anything else you're not telling me?" I ask.

"That depends on how badly you want to know anything else I might be keeping from you," Apollo replies.

I hesitate. "Please tell me."

"I…" Apollo also hesitates. "It's about the birth, so I think you should know."

"Then tell me."

He hesitates again. "I also told Artemis this. Your birth…it's going to be a lot more painful than your three previous births put together."

"Great," I sigh, but he's not done.

"I can't guarantee it won't kill you."

"Ah. But why?"

"It's to do with your age," Apollo replies. "If you had no children and you were pregnant at this age, I'm afraid you wouldn't have a chance. Female platypus' bodies are designed to have four or five babies between the ages eight to nineteen. A pregnant female between the ages of four and eight can physically give birth but it's trying on such a young body. You with me so far?"

"Yes."

"Well, your condition is the exact opposite. Instead of being on the younger side of the spectrum, you're on the older side of the spectrum. You are physically able to give birth but it will be trying because your body is past the prime age for reproduction."

"Ah…" I say again.

Despite my calm exterior, my heart has begun pounding. My fourth child might just kill me…

…

 **This is the beginning of the end for poor Priya :( and yes, I know his explanation is exactly the same as chapter 8 of Hazel's Mission but that's the point.**


	2. A Shocking Revelation

**This chapter has now switched to a day after Hazel's Mission ended.**

…

 **Priya's POV**

I don't know why I stayed so long in the hospital. Maybe I was scared that if I went home, I'd pass out and nobody would find me for ages.

But now I'm home, I'm starting to relax a little. Perry's been absolutely phenomenal; he gets me anything I need and is never away from my side for long. At the moment, I'm sitting up in bed, resting.

Teddy and Piper are preparing for their second child coming. It turns out that it's only a week before the egg is due to come. Even though they don't live with us anymore, they're often over at our house.

Hazel and Parker haven't moved out. They've bought a bigger bed for Hazel's old room and they're staying in that. I'm so glad to see that my daughter is happy with a mate. I know that she made the right choice. I have met Jolyon, and I believe that even he knew he had no chance with her. I'm still glad that Hazel's mission ended with her making two new friends.

There's a knock at the door and Pearl pokes her head round. "Can I come in?"

I nod. "Sure."

My grandmother-in-law comes in. She's carrying a simple, Philadelphia-covered bagel and a cup of tea. "I know you're sick but I thought I'd make you something in case you need it."

"Thanks, Pearl."

She puts the tea and the plate down on the bedside table, and then she sits down on the end of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know, Pearl. Sometimes I feel perfectly normal and I can get up, but other times I feel like I'm about to die."

A look of alarm comes over her face. I manage a smile. "Of pain, Pearl. Nothing else."

She looks relieved but still slightly worried so I ask, "Is everyone at work?"

"Perry, Teddy, Apollo, Artemis, Hazel, and Parker are. Piper is getting near her due date so she stayed at home."

I tilt my head back and close my eyes. I feel Pearl get off the bed and go to the door. "Is it hard?" I blurt out.

Pause. "Is what hard?"

"Seeing your family grow and knowing that Patrick would have loved to see it?"

There's another pause, a longer one. I open my eyes to make sure that I haven't mortally offended her. Pearl's staring out the window, deep in thought. "Sometimes," she answers eventually. "It was hardest when Quinn was born because the family was still small but it was amazing. I had three grandchildren, and that was basically all Patrick and I talked about when we were in that cage…"

She trails off.

"Are you okay?" I ask, concerned at the sudden look of panic that flitters across her face.

"I…I'm going to tell you something that you can't tell Perry. Not yet."

"Okay…" I say slowly.

"Please, promise me that whatever you may hear, you won't tell Perry until I say you should. Please."

"I…" I can't pretend that this conversation isn't making me nervous already, but now my curiosity is piqued. "I promise."

"Thank you."

She closes the door and sits back down on the end of the bed. "Back in those nine years we were imprisoned together…we thought we had lost Perry, and we knew we probably wouldn't have another chance, so…so we…"

"Are you saying that…" I can't believe what I'm hearing. "…Perry has a _sibling_?"

"Had," corrects Pearl sadly. "And he had two siblings."

"Wh-what happened to them?"

"The first one, a boy, was taken away by LOVEMUFFIN and presumably killed. We…we named him Jay afterwards."

"That's horrible," I shudder.

"But the other one…she was born almost a month after Patrick was dragged away and killed. I named her Sora, which is Japanese for 'sky'. Something I never thought I'd see again."

"What happened to her? Is she dead too?"

Pearl shakes her head, to my surprise. "When Sora was a day old, I was terrified. Nobody had come yet, which meant they were surely about to, and then they'd find Sora and take her away from me. Sure enough, one of the scientists was coming to feed me. He opened the hatch in the floor, which wasn't big enough for me to fit through anyway, but then a girl came in. She was teenaged and she was looking for her father. The scientist said he hadn't seen her father but he went off to check he wasn't in the facility, leaving me alone with the girl and the hatch open. I quickly pushed my baby out through the hatch and tapped on the glass until I got the girl's attention. She looked down at the baby and then at me. I made the most pleading look I could. She seemed to get the hint because she picked up Sora and hid her in the small bag that she had brought with her. When the scientist came back and said her father wasn't in the facility, she thanked him and left. That was the last I ever saw of the girl or Sora."

I'm stunned into silence. Perry has a sister…! One who could still be alive!

…

 **Dun dun DUUUUN! This is basically the B-plot in this story I:}**


	3. Finding Sora

**Familiar face will be back in this chapter :)**

…

 **Priya's POV**

When I wake up, Pearl is gone. I'm surprised I could even try to go to sleep after that revelation.

Sora…

Perry has a sister, and she may be alive!

I look up and find a note on the bed.

 _Priya_

 _You fell asleep so soon after my story that I wasn't able to tell you anything about the girl. She had brown hair and she was dressed all in black. I hope that helps you find her; it doesn't help me at all._

 _By the way, I've just gone out to get some things for tonight's supper. If you need anything, Piper's just in her room._

 _Pearl_

A brown-haired, teenage girl who was dressed all in black and who had a father in LOVEMUFFIN.

I know who that is. The problem is where to find her. It's been at least eleven years since I last saw her at age eighteen; she's gotta be a grown-up by now. Who knows where she is?

Wait, there is someone who must know. And I know where to find _him_.

Getting up off the bed is very worryingly a taxing task, but I manage it. I peer into Piper's room and find her asleep on her bed, an open book on her lap. I quickly scribble her a note saying where I'm going, and then I go outside and catch the tram to OWCA HQ.

Once there, I head straight down to the science division's brand new building. Well, I say brand new; it was built two years ago but it still is fairly new.

Luckily, I find the guy I'm looking for in the corridor. "Priya? Is everything okay? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Heinz, I need a favour. Where can I find your daughter, Vanessa?"

Heinz stares at me. "Wh-why?"

I grimace. "I can't really tell you. I don't have malicious intent, don't worry."

"No, I know you don't. She lives with her boyfriend on the other side of Danville. She works at a record shop under Danny, you know, the guy from Love Händel?"

"Yeah, I do. Danny's Music Shop?"

"That's the one."

"Thank you, you've been really helpful."

I turn and begin walking away. I hear Heinz call after me, "Priya, if you're going to continue pursuing whatever it is you're pursuing, you should take someone with you. Just in case, you know? In your condition."

He has a point. If I were to faint on the street, nobody would know where to take me. "Who do you have in mind?" I inquire.

"Well, there's an old friend speaking with Major Monogram right now. I'm sure you can persuade her to join you."

"Alright. Thank you."

…

When I reach Major Monogram's office, I find the door slightly ajar. I don't look in but I do listen. I hear a familiar voice inside say, "…haven't been any signs of trans-universal damage since the adventure we had three years ago."

I can't stop the grin that comes over my face. I know who that is.

"Thank you. You may go," comes Major Monogram's voice.

I step away from the door. A moment later, a thirty-year-old woman comes through the entrance. Her brown hair is cut short in a bob, and she's wearing a knee-length, sleeveless floral dress, brown knee-high boots, and a denim jacket. There's a new scar along her cheek, running from just below her left eye to the top of her jawline.

"Priya!" She bends down and gives me a hug. "How are you?"

"Not too well," I admit, but she already knows what I mean.

"Yes, when I arrived here I had an infected cut." She points to the scar on her face. "I had to go to Apollo and while I was there, I asked about you and Perry. He told me about your condition."

"Yes, well, it's a curse. But I really need your help right now."

I explain about Perry having a sister and where she might be.

"That's quite the adventure," Diana says quietly. "In that case, count me in."

…

 **Diana's POV**

We head straight to Danny's Music Shop. Since there's a no-pets-allowed sign outside the door, I go in alone. A middle-aged Danny holding a rock guitar greets me. "Hello, young lady! Has the spirit of rock and roll called out to you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me find my friend. I think she works here: Vanessa Doofenshmirtz?"

"Oh, yes. Hold on a minute."

Danny goes to the Employees-Only door and calls, "Vanessa! You're needed in the front."

The girl who comes out is actually looks the same age as me: thirty-one. Or thereabouts. She's wearing a black dress with black pumps, and her brown hair is long.

"Yes?" she says.

"Are you Vanessa Doofenshmirtz?"

"Yeah. Who are you?"

"I'm Diana Fay. I'm here on behalf of Perry the Platypus's mate, Priya."

"Ah." She looks slightly uncomfortable. "I think I might know what this is about."

She turns to Danny and says, "Dan, do you mind if I take my lunch break now?"

"So long as you're back in an hour, I don't mind," says Danny, lazily strumming his guitar.

Vanessa leaves the shop with me and catches sight of Priya. "Nice to see you, Priya."

 **Priya's POV**

"I-I'm sorry, but I need to cut straight to the chase. Perry's mom, Pearl, told me that you took her daughter for her?"

Vanessa nods. "That's right. She traced the name "Sora" on the glass, so that's what I called her."

"What did you do with her?" I ask.

"I took her home and raised her," replied Vanessa. "I didn't know at the time that she was Perry's sister, but on the anniversary of Perry's parents' deaths (or so he thought), I walked in on him and Dad having a chat about his parents. As soon as I heard him say that his mom was a yellow platypus, I knew that Sora was Perry's sister. I know that there are a lot of yellow platypuses out there but I just assumed that…well…now I'm not sure why I assumed it."

"Where is she now?" I ask urgently.

"Still at my mom's," replies Vanessa. "Well, she was. I raised her at Mom's because I knew Dad wouldn't approve of me having a platypus pet. I didn't even tell him about her. I brought her with me when I moved into George's place."

"George?"

"My new boyfriend," she explains. "I imagine you want to see her."

"Yes, please."

…

Vanessa takes us into the house, which is only a ten minute or so walk from her work. It's a fairly large apartment, cutely decorated.

"I trained her as best I could to walk on two legs and act like a human," says Vanessa. "It really helped that I was able to acquire a translator from OWCA."

"How?" Diana inquires.

"Um…I don't want to get anyone into trouble…"

"It's okay," I say.

All three of us know full well who she's talking about, so we drop the subject.

"Sora!" calls Vanessa.

A moment later, a platypus comes walking into the room on her hind legs. Her fur is teal, though noticeably lighter than Perry's. She looks well-fed, though not plump, and she has a translator on her.

"Vanessa, you're home early," she comments.

"I need to introduce you to someone," Vanessa says. "You remember I once told you that you have a brother?"

"Yes: Perry. But you said I couldn't meet him because you didn't know where he lives."

"Well, I don't. But this is Priya. She's the mate of your brother: Perry."

"My brother's mate?" gasps the platypus.

"Priya, this is Sora. Perry's sister."

…

 **CLIFFHANGER TIME!**


	4. Back To OWCA

**More Sora on the way! Plus: Perry finds out he has a sister!**

…

 **Sora's POV**

I can't stop staring at this purple platypus.

I don't remember my parents. Vanessa remembers my mom but she says she never met my dad. When I was old enough to understand, she explained to me that my mom had been in trouble and she'd begged Vanessa to take me to safety. I feel grateful that Vanessa was able to raise me with love for my whole life so far.

The woman who came in with Priya seems to pick up on the tension. "Hi Sora!" she says brightly. "I'm Diana Fay."

She nudges Priya, who visibly puts a smile on her face as she moves forward and holds out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Sora."

I numbly shake her hand. "Nice to meet you too, Priya." I look hopefully up at Vanessa. "Does this mean I can meet my brother?"

Priya answers before Vanessa can. "The only problem with that is…well…he doesn't know you exist."

"What?"

"He thinks he's an only child. Your mother hasn't told him about you."

"My mom's alive?" I gasp.

I always assumed she'd been killed!

"She is," Priya nods. "Her name is Pearl. She told me about you just a couple of hours ago, and…"

She trails off and presses her hand to her forehead. "Are you okay?" I ask.

She looks up at me and nods, before collapsing to the ground.

"Priya!" I cry.

She's shaking and shuddering, her eyes closed. She looks like she's having a seizure. It's really scary. I cover my beak and back away as Diana bends down beside the shaking platypus. She puts her hand on Priya's head, and immediately the purple platypus is still.

"You sent her to sleep?" gasps Vanessa. "How?"

"Oh, an old friend taught me how to do it three years ago."

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh…well, it's a bit of a long story, so I'll explain later."

Diana gently picks up Priya and heads to the door.

"Wait!" I call, running towards them. "Please let me come! I want to meet my mom and brother!"

Diana looks down at me before her gaze flickers to Vanessa. I look pleadingly back at my owner. "I will be back," I promise.

Vanessa nods. "I need to get back to work, anyway. I have my car, I can drop you at OWCA if you need it."

"OWCA?" I repeat.

"We'll explain on the way," Diana says.

 **Perry's POV**

My hands ache. I've been typing up this report as quickly as possible for the last hour and a half. I want to finish all my work as quickly as possible so I can get home and see Priya. I worry about her a lot nowadays.

Then someone comes running into my office, startling me. "Diana!" I yelp. "What's wrong?"

Diana's panting. "Priya…she had a seizure…she's in the medical bay…"

 _"_ _What?"_

I leap off my chair and rush past Diana, skidding in the corridor. I don't stop running until I get to the hospital wing. Priya's lying in one of the beds, only her head showing above the sheets. Her face is pale; the fur turning almost lilac. Apollo is taking her blood pressure.

"Is she okay?" I ask worriedly as I come in.

"Long term, she will be fine," Apollo answers. "Though she may be in quite a bit of pain for the next few hours."

"Can't you give her any anaesthetic or painkillers?" I demand.

"All my anaesthetics would harm both her and the baby," Apollo replies calmly. "And painkillers would lessen the pain but when it wears off, the pain will be even worse for her. The best course of action for her is for you to take her home and let her rest in bed for a few days."

I deflate. "Alright. If that's the best thing for her right now."

"She may experience some fainting spells if she gets up, so try and make her stay in bed. If she needs to be sick, which is likely, keep a bowl by her side. And if she contracts a fever, which is also likely, you'll need to keep her as warm as possible. She can have a few visitors and you don't need to worry about anyone catching anything from her because it's not contagious. Just try to minimise visitors to three or four at a time, and only for about half an hour at a time."

I find myself writing down everything Apollo is saying. I nod. "Thank you."

"Oh, by the way, you might want to go into the waiting room."

"The waiting room?"

There's a waiting room opposite the medical bay. I've never really been in there, but it's for people waiting for a loved one to finish in surgery and other things like that.

"Why?" I ask.

"I have to do a few more tests on Priya so it may take a while. Besides, there may be someone waiting for you."

"Um…okay."

With a casual salute to Apollo, I go opposite into the waiting room. It's a small-ish room, with simple chairs around the outside and some leather sofas in the middle in a circle. In the corner there's a sink, a fridge, a kettle, and a small oven.

A platypus is lying on one of the sofas. She looks half-worried half-dejected. Her fur is teal but quite lighter than mine. She looks to be about ten years old. She's fedora-less, so she's not an agent. I've never seen her before in my life.

"Hello?"

She looks up as I speak. Her eyes widen and she gets up off the sofa, coming towards me. Her eyes scrutinise my face. "Wow…!"

"Sorry, but do I know you?"

She shakes her head. "No, but you must be Perry. Right?"

"Yes."

She lets out a high-pitched squeal and a look of pure delight comes on her face. "I can't believe I'm meeting you…!" she whispers.

"Who are you?" I ask.

She visibly calms herself down. "My name is Sora," she says. "I know our mom hasn't told you about me."

She pauses, waiting for that to sink in, which it does. "Our mom?" I repeat.

She beams, clearly glad I noticed. "Well, I barely knew about it myself, but your mom's name is Pearl, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, so is my mom. Our mothers are the same platypus."

"You mean…I'm…you're my…"

My brain can't process this.

"…we're _siblings?_ "

She nods, still smiling. "I was born to Pearl in some kind of prison twelve years ago. A girl called Vanessa Doofenshmirtz took me away and raised me for my whole life so far. But just a few minutes ago, your mate Priya and your friend Diana came to our house and told me that not only do I have a brother, but my mom is still alive too. Up until then, I thought she was dead. I thought I had no family. But…now I have you and Pearl. And I learnt from Priya and Diana that I'm an aunt, is that right?"

I haven't quite recovered from my shock as I say, "And a great aunt."

She gasps, "Oh my God, really? Oh, now I _have_ to meet everyone! But first…I'd like to get to know you, Perry."

She makes me sit down on the sofa. "While we wait until we can take Priya back to your house, how about we chat? I can tell you still haven't fully processed the fact that you have a sister."

I have a sister.

I have a sister.

I have a sister.

I HAVE A SISTER!

…

 **I think Sora broke Perry's brain accidentally XD well, twelve years ago he thought he had no living blood family and now not only does he have his mother, he has a sister too!**


	5. Hopes and Fears

**Priya's POV**

When I wake up, I'm back home again. Everything looks exactly the same, so for a moment I wonder if all that stuff about finding Sora was just a dream.

Then Perry comes into the room with a cup of tea. "How are you feeling?"

I pause, evaluating the answer to that question. "Currently, my stomach is churning, I'm about a minute and a half away from throwing up, and my brain feels like it's doing an impression of what it's like to be on fire."

"Well, there's the answer to my next question," grins Perry. "My next question would have been "feel well enough to drink something?" but the answer to that is obvious now."

"Did I dream the whole thing?" I ask aloud.

Perry's face changes. "Well, if you mean the whole thing about how I have a long-lost sister, then no. You didn't."

I stare at him. "You know?"

"Yes, and so do you."

"Pearl told me." I sigh. "I'm sorry, Perry. I just…Pearl told me not to tell you but I just really wanted to find her for you and her. Speaking of which, where is Pearl? Have she and Sora met yet?"

He shakes his head. "She's still out getting groceries. Sora's meeting Teddy, Hazel, and Quinn."

"Piper?"

"Still asleep in her room."

"So have you had a chance to catch up with Sora?"

Perry hesitates. "Yes, but not very much."

I can't stop a couple of tears from leaking down my face. "You're not happy. I'm so sorry, it's all my fault…"

"Hey, don't cry!" Perry seems shocked. "I am happy to see her, it's just that she came at a bad time. We've both been worried about you, that's all."

"So it is my fault," I cry.

"No, it isn't. You can't control this. When you can control how sick you're feeling, then, and only then, is it your fault."

Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of nausea hits me and I throw up. Luckily, Perry anticipated this and I find that he has put a bowl under me. Our bed does not get messy. Perry even supplies me with a towel to wipe my beak on.

"Thanks," I choke.

He picks up the bowl without a word and takes it out. He brings it back a minute later, completely clean.

"I love you so much," I say. "But why are you doing that horrible stuff for me?"

He smiles. "And I love you very much too. That's why I'm doing that stuff. I love you, and care about you, and don't like seeing you sick. I'm going to be at your beck and call until you get better."

"You don't have to do that-."

"I want to. I don't like seeing you so sick."

I nod, suddenly feeling very sleepy. Perry must have seen me yawn because he stands up, says, "Get some sleep now," and leaves the room. Smiling as I think about my loving mate, I settle down to go to sleep.

…

 **Sora's POV**

Chatting with my nieces and nephew is absolutely delightful. I hear from them about everything major that has happened in their lives, especially the older two: Teddy and Hazel, since Quinn is only three years old. I also get to meet Piper, Teddy's mate; Paige, their child; and Parker, Hazel's mate. While all of that is amazing, the person I really want to meet is my mom, Pearl. Perry tells me that she went out for groceries and that she should be back soon.

I have this image of what she looks like in my head. I know I was only a day old when I was separated from her, but in my head I have this image of a yellow platypus lying asleep in a prison cell, her features contorted in fear even in sleep. I'm hoping that this image is what my mom really looks like. Otherwise, I have absolutely no idea where that image came from.

The door opens and closes. Perry hops up from the sofa and hurries into the hallway. I hear him explain something for a minute or so, then a yellow platypus wearing a wooden pendant comes running into the living room. She stops dead when she sees me. I stand up, almost shaking. This is the exact platypus from my memory. I have no doubt that this is my mom.

She moves slowly towards me, her eyes staring into my face. Her expression tells me that she desperately wants me to be her lost daughter but she doesn't know if she quite believes it.

"Hi Mom," I say.

That makes her cry and beam at the same time. The next thing I know, we're both crying and hugging each other like we never want to let go. Then Perry joins the hug. We all clutch each other tightly. I can't believe I've finally been reunited with my family!

"Teddy's been telling me all about OWCA," I say as the three of us sit on the sofa opposite my nieces and nephew.

"Oh? All good things?" chuckles Pearl.

"I want to join."

Both Perry and Pearl stare at me. "Wh-what?" gasps Perry.

"I've decided. My life wasn't going anywhere when I was stuck in Vanessa's apartment all day. No offense to Vanessa. If I joined OWCA, I could get to know my family better _and_ make something of my life. Is that okay?"

"Okay?" repeats Pearl, staring at me. "It's the best plan ever!"

She hugs me again.

"As it happens, we have two other new recruits who are starting their training next Monday," says Perry. "They're at the same level you are-."

"Level zero," I chuckle.

"-and they're both of a similar age to you. You're twelve, right?"

I nod.

"Well, Xanthe and Jolyon are both ten years old, so that's not a significant age gap."

I hop up and down on the sofa excitedly. My life has finally changed for the better!

"I'm going to tell Priya," Perry says, standing up. "You two chat some more. Teddy, shouldn't you, Hazel, and Parker be getting back to work?"

"Probably," grins Hazel. "We left without telling Eden, Chelsea, or Noah that we were going."

The three of them get up and head to the door.

"Quinn, why don't you take Piper back to bed and make her a cup of tea?"

"Okay!" Quinn gets up excitedly and runs off into the kitchen.

Piper grins and gets up from the sofa. "I think she forgot the first part of your instruction even as you said it," she says to Perry, who raises his eyebrow and shrugs.

"She always does."

…

 **Priya's POV**

I wake up with a gasp, sweating. My heart is pounding and I'm breathing heavily.

I don't understand. I haven't had that nightmare in years, not since Hazel was born.

But it was different this time. Instead of Teddy being snatched from me and taken away, there was a teal-furred platypus in his place. I felt just as much fear and anger in the dream as I had felt all those years ago when the nightmares were frequent. I know that this baby teal platypus was my child, my unborn child. But then why was he or she being taken away from me like Teddy almost was?

I have a bad feeling about this. Either my subconscious recognises my greatest fear and projected it using my unborn child…

…or I just saw the future…

…

 **Dun DUN DUUUUUN!**


	6. A Costly Mistake

**This is going to be a short but very significant chapter.**

…

 **Priya's POV**

Three days later, a fever attacks.

I feel cold and sweaty all the time. I'm wrapped up in a blanket 24/7 and I can't eat anything. I feel thankful that yesterday I was able to eat a bagel, so I'm not going to starve. And luckily, the fever is actually preventing me from throwing up, so that's a bonus.

I'm a day or so away from my due date now. I can feel the egg inside me. I'm hoping the birth won't be hard, however painful it may be, but I have a feeling that it won't be so easy.

When I settle down to go to sleep each night, I pray that I won't have the nightmare again. So far I haven't, but I can't get it out of my head. I've been so on edge lately.

The day before my due date, I decide to get up. Wrapped in a blanket, I head down the stairs and find the whole house deserted, so I go outside, sit on the bench outside our house, and watch the world go by. It's a bright, sunny day in July, and I relish in the warm air on my body. I even shed the blanket and, lying down on the bench, I use it as a pillow. The nearest tree is perfectly positioned so that the branches keep the sun out of my eyes but the rest of my body is in the sun.

For the next hour, I lie like that. I don't go to sleep, but it's extremely relaxing to just lie out in the sunshine.

Then I decide to do something that will prove to be the biggest mistake of my life.

I get on the tram to go to OWCA HQ.

When the tram arrives at its destination, I get off and head towards the building. On the way, I pass a short, portly, middle-aged man whom I've never seen before, coming out of the building. I see his eyes flicker to my large belly, which rather creeps me out. I try and walk past him but he steps in the doorway. Giving him a look, I back away, but then someone grabs me from behind. I let out a yell, but then my head grows fuzzy and I lose consciousness.

…

 **Again: dun DUN DUUUUN! Unfortunately, this truly is the beginning of the end for poor Priya :(**


	7. Face Your Fear

**This story is not labelled as a crossover but this chapter and some others will include characters from Professor Layton.**

 **I do not own Professor Layton**.

…

 **Priya's POV**

I am woken by a massive coughing fit which wracks my entire body. When it calms down, I notice that my head feels fuzzy. Not quite painful, but as if I can't quite think straight.

Through my blurred vision, I focus on my surroundings. I'm in a tiny cage, one that is metal on all sides except for a barred front. It's very low; not even talk enough to house me standing on my hind legs. Through the rather wide bars of the cage, all I can see is a black room with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

I feel something stir inside me. I hope it's not the baby. I've already given birth in prison once, I can't do it again. I just can't!

Lucky, the stirring stops after a minute.

I hear a door open and at least two sets of footsteps come in.

"Is this her, Bill?" asks a nasal English voice.

"Indeed it is," answers an equally English voice. "Project Newborn is fully operational."

I don't like the sound of that.

A fairly young face with grey hair bends down in front of my cage. I scrabble to the back of my cage in terror, which doesn't really put me any further away from him. To my slight relief, he looks quite sympathetic. "It's cruel to keep her locked up like this, Bill."

"Oh, and the rest of Project Newborn isn't cruel, Dimitri?"

Dimitri's head retracts and he stands up as he argues, "If we're going to subject her to all this, we may as well give her some more space."

"Shut up, Dimitri. She's getting this cage, and that's final."

Dimitri says nothing else. Bill stomps across the room and kneels down beside my cage. I gasp in terror and re-flatten myself against the back of the cage. This is the man! He's the guy who I saw coming out of the OWCA building! He's the one who kidnapped me! Then is Dimitri the man who grabbed me…? I can't tell right now.

Without further discussion, they leave the room. I fearfully draw into myself, before I realise something that floods me with terror: Perry doesn't even know I'm missing, let alone where I am. I'm never going to get out. All the bad memories of when I was captured by LOVEMUFFIN come flooding back.

 _Oh, Perry…I hope with all my heart that you come quickly._

…

 **Major Monogram's POV**

I can't believe that man. I can't believe he had the audacity to even MENTION that to me, let alone ASK me if he could do it!

Carl peers round the door. "Is everything okay?" he asks.

I sigh. "It's nothing, Carl. Just some guy pitching a harmless project to me."

Carl edges further into the room. "Is that entirely true?"

"No. It was the former Prime Minister of England Bill Hawkes, who works for the American government now, along with a couple of scientists who worked under him, asking me if he could take one of our pregnant animals to wait until the baby is born and then "take" it away for tests."

"Wh-what?" Carl gasps, dropping the stack of papers. "Why?"

"I didn't hear his reason because I threw him out of my office, almost literally, as soon as he had pitched the idea."

"And quite right!" Carl spluttered. "What an idea! He should be arrested for that!"

"Well, at least he didn't go through with it," I admit.

"Yeah, and at least he did come to you and ask instead of just doing it," adds Carl.

All of a sudden, the door bursts open, admitting a very frantic Perry. He seemed to be clutching a cream-coloured blanket in his paw. Following him are the twins, Apollo and Artemis Hastings. They're trying to calm Perry down.

"I'm sorry, sir," says Artemis.

"He just wouldn't listen-," Apollo says at the same time.

I hold up my hand, making both my staff stop. "Agent P, you know I don't allow agents in my office without knocking."

"Sir, Priya's not at home, and I found this-." He holds up the blanket. "-outside the building. I think she's been kidnapped."

He anxiously gazes at me. I only need to ask one question, one that I think I already know the answer to. "Agent Priya is pregnant, correct?"

He looks confused but he nods.

That clinches it. I know exactly where Agent Priya is.

I spin round and, with a sweep of my arm, I knock everything off my desk. Luckily, there is nothing breakable on there. Unluckily, there are about a million papers, which scatter all over the floor.

This gives everyone in the room a fright. I pick up the lamp on my desk, the only thing that survived the first sweep, and throw it furiously at the wall. It doesn't smash but it makes a loud noise.

 **Perry's POV**

Despite my fear for Priya, Major Monogram's fury makes me even more scared. I have _never_ seen this side of him before. It's scaring me, seeing him like this, yet it's also comforting. Like Phineas, Monogram does not get angry easily but, also like Phineas, when he does get angry, run for your life.

"What is it, sir?" Apollo asks nervously.

Artemis backs away a step.

"Agent Priya has been taken by the government," Monogram snaps. He doesn't give anyone any time to react to that as he continues, "A man named Bill Hawkes came to me earlier and asked for permission to take one of our pregnant females and wait for the baby to be born, and then take it from her to run tests on."

My mouth drops open. Sweat suddenly drips down my face and my breathing slows down. The government has kidnapped Priya and they're going to take our baby away! I feel a sudden and overwhelming wave of fear for Priya. Not only has she now got to go through her painful birth alone, but she's already mentally unstable. Having her child cruelly snatched from her has been her worst fear since Teddy was born. If the government take our new child away, I fear that that could psychologically destroy her.

"Then we have to go get her!" I snap.

"We can't."

His rage spent, Monogram sits wearily down on the chair behind his now empty desk and puts his head in his hands. "We have no proof."

"Yes we do!" I yell.

"It's not concrete enough. We didn't have any eye-witnesses and apart from a dropped blanket—which could be just that: dropped—we don't have enough to stop Bill from just claiming that they found Priya and took her in."

"But that's not what-!" I begin furiously.

"I KNOW!" bellows Monogram, glaring at me.

I wither.

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?" Monogram sighs and lowers his voice. "But we can't do anything without endangering Priya further."

I can't stop a few tears from falling down my face. "Then it's hopeless," I cry. "Priya's not going to even survive the birth."

 **Apollo's POV**

I speak up just then. "Not if I get there first."

Perry looks up at me. "What?" he asks blearily.

"I can prove to them that Priya will not survive without my help in the birth. Without a mother, the baby will not survive either. That's not what they want. I'll convince them to let me help."

"It's risky," says Monogram doubtfully.

I nod. "I'm well aware. But I have a friend who works in the government: Leo Tyler. He can vouch for my credentials. You have to admit: they want the baby, and they won't want to lose it."

Monogram looks into Perry's pleading face. "All right. But be careful."

…

 **I own Leo Tyler but not the fandom he comes from. You'll see what that is next chapter I:}**


	8. Finally

**I feel the need to say: I do not own Doctor Who or Star Trek, though I do own my OCs from those two franchises.:) now that I've said Star Trek, as soon as you hear my OC's surname, you'll know who she's related to I:}**

…

 **Leo's POV**

I've always enjoyed working in the science side of the government. My parents are very involved in politics, and I'm glad I'm honouring them by being in the government. Yet at the same time, I'm glad I'm not a politician; I wasn't even any good at debating back in high school. Science has always been my passion; the science of physics and engineering. That's why I'm here.

Now, as I tinker with a gigantic clock, I ask my companion a question.

"Were you bullied in school?"

Dimitri Allen looks over at me from where he's sorting through parts on a table off to the side. "That's an odd question."

"Not really. I kind of assumed that everyone was bullied in high school," I say. "Well, everyone as nerdy as us."

"Funnily enough, I wasn't as nerdy in high school as you could argue I am now," Dimitri says thoughtfully. "So I wasn't really bullied. You?"

"There were these boys in the year above me who came up to me one day and tried to take my lunch money."

"What a cliché."

"I know, right?" I'm happy SOMEONE gets that. "Anyway, I refused them that day and got beaten up quite badly but, you know, they lost interest in my quickly because I refused."

"Why?" asks Dimitri. "Why didn't you just give in to them and avoid a beating?"

"You don't just give up. You don't just let things happen. You make a stand! You say no!" I pause. "At least, that's what my mum said."

"Your mum said that? Is she a philosopher?"

"She worked in a shop."

"Right."

There's silence for a few minutes, while we continue working on the clock, before Dimitri says quietly, "Have you heard of Project Newborn?"

I nod, tightening a bolt on the clock. "It's despicable. I'm glad it hasn't gone past the storyboard phase."

"It has, Leo. It's being implemented right now."

I drop the wrench in shock as I spin round to stare at my friend. _"What?"_

"We have the female in our captivity right now."

I nearly faint on the spot. I blink fuzzy spots out of my eyes as I stare down at the ground, unable to believe what I'm hearing.

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not!" I shout, kicking the clock in annoyance.

"Careful!" hisses Dimitri as the machine shudders.

"Bill told me it was purely experimental and it would never come into play!"

"Yeah, well, he told a lot of people that," says Dimitri coldly, going back to his tinkering.

I rip off my work apron and throw it to the floor. Then I storm towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Dimitri demands.

"To kick in some heads."

…

 **Priya's POV**

The pain is getting worse. This is the build-up the labour, I can tell. The egg is coming here and now, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

Bill Hawkes is kneeling in front of my cage, peering in at me. If I had the strength, I would be shrieking at him to get away, but right now the egg is taking up all my attention.

I can't keep quiet any longer. Bottling up my pain is only using valuable energy, so I scream. I scream aloud, very loudly, to try and put some of the pain into my voice. It's becoming almost unbearable, and this isn't even the labour yet.

All of a sudden, I hear the door burst open. "Bill!" shouts an unfamiliar voice, sounding very angry. _"What are you doing?"_

"Conducting an experiment," answers Bill, but even he sounds slightly uneasy.

"You told me Project Newborn was theoretical! _Theoretical,_ Bill! This does not look theoretical to me!"

"Leo, the only person I told that Project Newborn was operational was Dimitri."

" _Is that supposed to make me feel better?"_ Leo practically shrieks.

"Not at all. I'm merely telling you my reasons for keeping you in the dark."

"Yeah, well, I don't like it and this isn't what I signed up for."

Just then, the door opens again, and noises of a struggle come through to my ears. I can hear at least three different people shouting, maybe more.

"What is the meaning of this?" demands Bill.

"Bill, this guy snuck in and demanded to see you."

"Well, he's here, isn't he?" Bill snaps. "What do you want?"

I can't tell you how much my heart lifts when I hear the familiar voice: "I'm Apollo Hastings, Mr Hawkes."

I hear Leo gasp, "Apollo?" and I can't help wondering for a split second if Leo and Apollo know each other.

"From the Organisation Without a Cool Acronym," adds Apollo.

Someone snickers.

Bill steps back in alarm. I wish I can say I enjoyed seeing his fear, but right now I'm trying to follow the conversation through the excruciating pain in my abdomen.

"I'm not here to take Priya back," comes Apollo's voice. "We fully respect the terms of your acquiring of her, but the fact remains that without a doctor who is experienced in dealing with animal pregnancies, Priya and the baby will both die, and I'm betting you want that almost as little as me and my organisation. So I'm beseeching you to let me stay in here and assist with Priya's birth, or Priya may die before the egg is delivered, which would also kill the baby."

 _Oh my God, please PLEASE allow Apollo to help me!_

Bill dithers for a minute. "Oh, fine! But Leo will stay in here and guard you. Cuthbert!" he barks at another scientist. "Go get Violet."

"Violet McCoy?" repeats the Scottish scientist.

"THERE IS ONLY ONE VIOLET IN THIS FACILITY!" Bill actually hollers at his scientist, who quickly scrambles out of the room.

Apollo comes running and bends down next to me, sorting through his lab coat's pockets.

"I brought some medicines that will lessen the pain and won't harm the baby," he says urgently. "It won't make it painless but there'll be less chance of death."

"That's reassuring," I manage to squeak, before I let out an involuntary wail of pain.

I get through six pills by the time a pretty young woman with short black hair bends down next to Apollo.

"A platypus?" she says.

Her accent is American.

"Yes, a platypus. Her name is Priya and she's nineteen years old. This is the animal equivalent of a human female giving birth in her forties."

"Ah. Well, I'm more trained in human medicine but I'll do what I can."

"Thank you."

I'm well into the labour now, and it's getting so much harder. The agony is beyond words now.

Luckily, Violet asks the question that I'm now thinking: "How long will the labour last?"

"Only a few more minutes." Apollo addresses me. "You can do it, Priya."

One of my paws is crushing Apollo's hand, and the other is crushing Violet's hand. Violet doesn't seem to mind, though.

After about two minutes, which literally seems like two weeks, there's a small yellow egg lying beside me. I limply let go of Apollo's and Violet's hands and sag to the floor.

"Priya!" gasps Violet.

"Give her a minute. She's exhausted."

"Of course she is." Violet's voice is 1000% sympathy. "I can't even begin to comprehend what agony she must have just gone through."

I roll onto my back and, breathing very heavily, I look up at Apollo, who turns to look at the black-haired woman. "Violet, was it?"

She nods. "That's right."

"Thanks for helping."

"I didn't do much," she protests.

"You were there, offering support in any way you could, which happened to only be providing a hand for Priya to grasp. Thank you."

"No problem. Now, I'm going to have to…you know…"

"Escort me off the premises?" grins Apollo.

Violet also grins. "Something like that."

"I'll do that," Leo's voice pipes up.

I think everybody—including me—had forgotten that Leo was even there.

"Vi, you can stay with Priya. I'll take Apollo out."

Apollo and Violet exchange a look, looking as if they've know each other for months instead of minutes. "Sure," Apollo says eventually.

He rises to his feet. "Be safe, Priya. We'll be seeing you again very soon."

I don't want Apollo to go but I have no strength to argue. I watch as Leo takes Apollo out of the room.

I ignore Violet—not entirely on purpose—as I curl up around my egg. I've had nothing but pain and illness since day one of this pregnancy. I'm certainly not going to waste the few days I have with this baby, even if it's just an egg at the moment.

…

 **So Priya's finally had the baby! Is it a boy or a girl, though? I'm asking you but I already know the name and gender so :) Also, you guessed it (probably) Violet McCoy is related to Leonard McCoy AKA Bones. But in what way?**

 **By the way, if you're enjoying my story, please leave a review :) (not entirely aimed at Nightflame203, since you review all the chapters of all my stories anyway XD)**


	9. Don't Get Distracted

**We get a new OC coming into this chapter :)**

…

 **Perry's POV**

"Perry?"

I jerk awake and sit sharply up. A little embarrassed about having fell asleep at my desk in my own office, I look blearily at the person who called my name.

"Diana…?"

"Apollo's back. He's in Major Monogram's office."

I'm immediately alert. I scrabble out of my chair and rush past Diana, who follows me.

When we arrive at Major Monogram's office, Artemis is in the process of hugging her twin brother. Major Monogram is sitting behind his desk and Carl is in the corner, filing papers, but obviously listening.

As soon as Apollo sees me, he gently pushes Artemis away.

"Is Priya okay?" I ask desperately.

I know that Priya's birth could kill her. The tremendous feeling of terror that I might have to live the rest of my life without Priya is absolutely overwhelming. It's taking all my concentration to not pass out.

Apollo nods. "She laid the egg all right. She's exhausted but both mother and baby are doing fine."

I sink to my knees and cover my face. It seems like a gesture of despair but I'm relieved beyond words. That's one heavy burden off my shoulders.

"No word on the baby's gender?" Diana asks.

"Nothing concrete but based on the cycle so far, I'd say it'll be a boy. If a female has just four babies in her lifetime, there'll usually be a balance of boys and girls."

"A boy…" I repeat.

"There's nothing we can do for the moment," Major Monogram says. "I have agents combing the scene for anything that can link Priya's disappearance to Bill Hawkes. But for now, all we can do is wait."

"And hope," grins Carl.

"And hope," repeats Monogram, also with a grin.

"And also wait."

"I already did wait, Carl."

"Did we do hope?"

Monogram and Carl both burst out laughing. Diana, Artemis, and I stare at them with confusion. I guess it's an inside joke.

…

 **Carl's POV**

Since I've finished my work for the day and it's only an hour past lunchtime, I decide to head down to the IT department, where my cousin works. She stays down in the basement all day and almost all night. Since everyone in the building has a computer and a phone, there are a lot of problems; whether with a whole server or a single laptop. And it's Kelly Lee's job to sort all of them out on her own.

The stairs down to the IT department are located in the corner of the lowest office floor. I head down the cold stone stairway and come out into a large room, about the size of the lowest office floor itself. In one corner is a big sofa with a couple of pillows and a blanket on it, clearly having just had someone sleep in it. There's a small kitchenette in the opposite corner, with a microwave, a fridge, and a sink. Half of the room is taken up by desks and computers, though only one is in use.

My cousin, her bright red hair up in a neat braid, is tapping away on a keyboard. She is wearing a knee-length white dress and floral pumps. Her black glasses sit comfortably on her nose, though they unfortunately give her the look of a stereotypical nerd.

"Kelly," I call as I come further into the room.

Kelly looks up and spots me. "Carl!"

She gets up and, running towards me, throws her arms around me. I hug her back. "Where've you been?" She steps back and puts her hands on her hips. "I've been all alone down here for ages!"

"And that's my fault how?"

"It's not, silly!" She swats my shoulder as she begins walking back to her desk. "I just have a million and one things to do. Well, about twenty, actually. I've got twenty-uh…" She checks her screen. "…oh, eleven. I've got eleven tickets to close."

"Eleven problems to fix?"

"No, eleven tickets. At least eight of those are complaints about the Wi-Fi connection."

I chuckle. "Need me to help?"

"Nah, but I could use someone to accompany me as I venture into the above world of awkward socialising."

I chuckle again. "Very well, then. What's on the agenda?"

"Like I said, I gotta fix the Wi-Fi connection, and I also have to fix the fan in Cassie's laptop, create a login account for Perry's daughter Quinn, and replace the hard disk of Dana's computer."

"Wow, my head is spinning already. How can you _do_ this job?" I tease.

Kelly grins as she gathers up her security pass and walks to the stairs. I follow her up.

For the rest of the afternoon, Kelly gives me basic information on how stuff in IT works, and I find it very informative.

…

 **Priya's POV**

It's been three and a half hours, and I'm still curled up around the egg. I'm exhausted but I can't sleep. I'm terrified that if I sleep, Bill or Dimitri will come and take the baby away while I sleep.

But I can't help myself. After another half an hour, I'm asleep.

I wake up with a jerk and immediately search for my egg. I feel a moment of sheer panic until I find it and clutch it close to me.

"Don't worry, little son or daughter," I mutter. "I won't let anything happen to you."

But I know that even if someone came to take the egg while I'm still awake and alert, there is not much I could do about it.

"I should name you," I whisper to the egg, stroking the hard shell as if my child could feel it. "I think I will name you in honour of Apollo, without whom neither of us would be here. How about the name of a Greek goddess or god?"

I think for a moment. "There are so many good names, yet so many bad ones." I can't help a weak grin. "I'm not going to name you Zeus or Hephaestus. The names Athena, Hermes, Hestia, and Hera are nice."

…

 **WHAT WILL HAPPEN? I know what's going to happen, it's rhetorical for you guys XD**


	10. The Baby

**I'm not saying anything about this chapter I:}**

...

 **Perry's POV**

No evidence is found for the next ten days.

I get more and more restless, imagining my mate in a small cage with just our egg for company. If they haven't already taken the baby away from her.

My friends do everything they can to take my mind off Priya. Pinky, Peter, and Terry take me to the pub, where we chat and drink Ferbeer. This does distract me for a few hours.

Major Monogram is the most helpful. He gives me a task to do: repaint the walls of each office floor. This is most useful because if I am given a task that I need to complete, this takes up most of my focus. I put a CD on—the CD of every PFT song ever that Hazel gave to Teddy and which I borrowed from Teddy.

So, with amazing music from my former owners blaring out, I furiously repaint all four walls and the ceiling of all three office floors, plus the IT department.

It takes me a week, and I barely think about my mate during that time. I know it sounds bad but I need to forget about her for now; she's in trouble and I can't help her.

But on the tenth day, I can't stand it anymore. I leave OWCA without telling anyone except Pearl where I'm going. I'm going to get Priya back. Our child is not going to be taken. Not on my watch.

…

 **Priya's POV**

The incubation period is coming to an end. I've been sitting on this egg, just like I did with Teddy, for the last ten days. I've been so tense. Every time someone came into the room, I would panic that they were here to take my baby away, but for now all they did was monitor my situation and leave.

Come on, Perry. Last time, he arrived just in time and we all got out before anyone took the baby.

But of course this is different. LOVEMUFFIN didn't even know I was pregnant when they captured me. These people know about the baby. It's the whole reason they brought me here in the first place.

The egg suddenly shudders. My heart leaps into my throat as I gently pick up the egg and cradle it in my arms.

This is it.

I only have to wait ten seconds before cracks begin to form along the shell. I wait with baited breath. No matter where I am or how many times I've done this, it still takes my breath away. It's the miracle of life.

The egg breaks completely, leaving a small platypus in my arms. Its fur is blue.

It's a boy.

I smile, a couple of tears dripping down my face, as I gaze at my new son. I've been suffering for so long. Illness and pain were the only two things I knew during my pregnancy. Now that was all worth it.

Remembering my promise in regards to the baby's name, I say, "you shall be called Hermes. After the God of thieves and messengers."

Hermes rolls over in my arms and nearly falls right out. He squeaks. I let out a chuckle as I hold my new son under his arms and bring him up until our beaks are almost touching. He reaches out with his little arms and pats my beak. I laugh and nuzzle my son lovingly.

Artemis was right. My maternal instincts have not gone away. I feel just as protective over Hermes as I had over Teddy, Hazel, and Quinn.

I'm still cuddling Hermes when I hear the door open. I quickly wrap my arms around each other, hiding Hermes from view.

I hear Dimitri's voice arguing with Bill's. Then Bill himself bends down and sees me.

"Where's the egg?" he demands.

I glare defiantly at him and say nothing.

Unfortunately, he works it out. His eyes widen. "Hey, Dimitri? The egg's hatched."

"It has?"

He sounds surprised. "Has it been ten days already?"

"Apparently. Now come on and help me. We're going to have to hold her down."

He opens the door of the cage and reaches in. I hiss and snap my jaws at him but he picks me up and takes me out of the cage, still clutching Hermes.

Dimitri comes towards me and reaches for Hermes. I gnash my jaws and struggle as hard as I can but he gets his hands on Hermes and tugs, cruelly pulling my baby out of my arms. I scream and cry as Bill shoves me back in the cage, sans Hermes.

"Let's go," Dimitri says dully.

They begin to leave. Hermes begins crying, then. Screaming and sobbing, I desperately reach my hands through the bars as far as I can, trying to reach my distressed newborn son. All I can do is watch them leave through the door, Hermes's cries echoing throughout the room. I sink to the floor of my cage, still sobbing uncontrollably.

I've lost him. I've lost my baby forever.

...

 **:( :( :( :( :( :(**


	11. Rescue

**Even though it's a bit late, I do not own Bill and Dimitri.**

...

 **Leo's POV**

Im working on the clock when Dimitri runs into the room, carrying something wrapped up in a blanket. I can't see what it is. "We're leaving," he says.

That startles me. "Wh-what? Why? And where?"

"It's just me and Bill. We're going to one of our other facilities."

"Where?" I ask. "Which country? Here?"

He doesn't answer, which makes me a little suspicious. Then the bundle in Dimitri's hands squirms.

"What's that?" I ask suspiciously.

He looks down at it and then back at me. "None of your concern."

I can't stop staring at it. It seems to be making a distressed noise that sounds suspiciously like a baby animal.

"Please tell me that's not a baby platypus."

"I don't have to tell or not tell you anything."

That clinches it. Dimitri always tells me what I want to know. He only doesn't when he's ashamed or he's hiding something.

I take a step forwards. Dimitri takes one back, but in the process, he drops the blanket, which falls to the floor, exposing the tiny light blue platypus.

My hands fly to cover my mouth. "You didn't...!"

Dimitri turns to leave. "It's necessary."

"Tearing a NEWBORN infant away from its mother is NOT necessary!"

Dimitri takes a step towards the door but I grab his arm and pull him back. "Give me that platypus," I say quietly.

"What are you going to do with it?" Dimitri sneers.

"Return it to its mother," I reply. "Then release both of them out into the wild."

Dimitri gives a laugh. "And that is why you will never go far in this world, Leo Tyler. You're never willing to do what's necessary."

I don't argue with that. Instead, I quickly put my hands on the tiny platypus and pull. Dimitri doesn't expect that but he regains his balance and swings me round and pushes me hard. Off balance, my head hits the wall quite forcefully. I collapse at the base of the wall, my head growing fuzzy and my vision growing black as I try to raise myself off the ground.

I can't let Dimitri get away with this.

But my head doesn't let me do anything except pass out.

...

 **Perry's POV**

"Why is this facility so damn large?" I snap.

I'm running through the corridors of the facility, dodging the gazes of anyone who happens to pass by. But rather worryingly, there's barely anybody around. That should be a good thing but it just gives me a stab of panic in my stomach.

I pass by a room that I have to stop and go back to look in. There's a massive clock, the biggest I've ever seen, and someone lying unconscious on his front at the base of the wall to the right of it. I really need to find Priya as soon as possible, but I can't leave anyone like that.

I go into the room and bend down beside him. He's a scientist, clearly, wearing a white lab coat. His blonde hair is short and flopped into his face. He's about twenty or so.

I place my hand on his shoulder, which makes him stir. I help him roll onto his side. He grimaces in pain.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

His eyes open and he sees me. His eyebrows crease, but other than that he doesn't show any signs of surprise at seeing a teal platypus.

"I'm gonna kill Dimitri," he sighs. "Thanks."

"Dimitri?"

"He knocked me out when I tried to take-." He stops with a gasp. "A platypus!"

I stare at him. "What?"

"Do you know a purple platypus?"

My heart lifts. "Y-yes, that's my mate!"

Now it's his turn to stare at me. "Then...you're the father of the baby?"

"The baby!" I repeat. "Yes, I am!"

"I-I'm so sorry. Dimitri...he and Bill took the baby and left."

My world starts spinning but I pull myself back to reality. "Where's my mate?" I demand.

"I'll take you to her."

He grips the wall and slowly raises himself up. "I'm Leo, by the way. Leo Tyler."

"I'm Perry."

Leo sets off and I follow. I'm glad I bumped into him because the way we go would not have been the way I would have chosen to go had I come on my own.

Soon we enter a room with a single cage in it. In that cage is...

"Priya!"

I run to the cage and wrench it open. I pull my semi-conscious mate out and lie her down on the ground. "Priya?"

Her eyes are closed but she's breathing. She mutters, "Perry...?"

"I'm here, Priy. Everything's okay. I'm here."

Her hazel eyes open and see me. She reaches up with her arms and throws them around my neck. We clutch each other tightly, neither wanting to let go. She starts crying into my neck.

"They took him," Priya sobs. "We had a son but they took him. I was so scared, Perry, I only had him for ten minutes!"

"Shh." I stroke my mate's back reassuringly, though my whole body feels hot with anger and worry. "Tell me about him."

"He had light blue fur," chokes Priya. "I named him Hermes, in honour of Apollo because we would have both died if not for him."

"Apollo's my friend," says Leo. "I'm so sorry. I would never have even joined Bill here if I knew what he was going to do. If I had only been here, I would have tried to stop him." His face grows angry. "I'm leaving this place. I'm going to help you in any way I can. I have information. Bill and Dimitri trusted me. I won't stop until we get your baby back."

I nod. "Thank you."

Priya suddenly starts choking. I help her sit up and pat her on the back, my other hand tightly holding hers.

"Let's get you home," I say.

...

 **So Priya's finally going home :) but without the baby :(**


	12. The End

**This will be the last chapter. Sorry for the shortness of the story, but finding Hermes will be a task for another story. Hey, Finding Hermes…I think I've just found the title! XD**

…

 **Perry's POV**

It's been two days since Priya was brought home.

Everybody tries to visit her in the hospital wing but she doesn't want any visitors except me and our children. I think she's going to tell them about our newest son.

Teddy, Hazel, and Quinn—who is only just old enough to understand—are gathered by her bed. I'm sat back a bit, since I already know the ending.

 **Teddy's POV**

"The people who captured me," begins Mom. "They wanted my baby. I was never going to be allowed to keep it but I hoped. I really did."

I lean across and give Mom a big hug. I stay like that for comfort as she continues.

"The birth was hard but I had Apollo to help me. The incubation period was horrible. I kept thinking they were going to swoop in and snatch the egg away but I should have known they would wait until the baby was actually born."

 **Hazel's POV**

"The child was a boy. I named him Hermes, in honour of Apollo."

Apollo, who overheard that, gives an honoured smile from over by the surgery table.

"But…he was snatched from me and taken away. It hurt so much. It was like my nightmare of LOVEMUFFIN taking Teddy away except so much worse."

I join Teddy lying across Mom's chest. My left hand finds her right hand and I squeeze it tightly. I can feel tears coming into my eyes. Poor Mom. I can't even imagine what she's going through right now. A stab of anger hits me as I think of those men who cruelly snatched newborn Hermes away from his mother—our mother—without a care as to what such early separation could do to both of them.

Making the decision to tell everyone now, I step back so that I can see my whole family. Dad sees me do this. "Hazel, is everything okay?"

Everyone looks at me. "Parker already knows this," I begin. "But I'm pregnant."

Teddy immediately rushes at me and picks me up and spins me around, both of us laughing. Then he hugs me tightly. Dad and Quinn join in, and I can tell that Mom would too if she could.

Our moment is interrupted by Parker running into the room, panting. "Guys, quickly! Piper's egg is hatching!"

…

 **Priya's POV**

I was told that Piper had laid the egg two days after I was taken. It makes sense that it's hatching today.

I've been temporarily released from hospital so we can be there for the birth. As I watch, I can't help feeling a stab of jealousy, which I quickly repress. I can't get jealous now or it'll never stop, and I don't want to grow up hating this grandchild because I've just lost Hermes.

But I can't stop myself from thinking _please be a girl. Don't be a boy. Please, please be a girl._

So when Piper cradles the tiny pink-furred baby in her arms, I let out a breath of relief.

 **Teddy's POV**

I can't believe I have two children now! She's so beautiful, I almost want to cry.

"Are we sticking with the name Matilda?" Piper asks.

"I don't really think the name suits her," I reply. "Even though she's newborn, she looks like she's going to grow up being very wise. I suggest Athena."

"The Greek goddess of wisdom?"

I nod. I hear Mom take in a sharp breath and for a moment I terribly regret my words, but then Piper smiles and says, "Athena. Beautiful."

I sneak a glance at Mom. She's smiling, but there's pain in her eyes. I don't blame her one bit."

 **Priya's POV**

As everyone fawns over their new niece, sister, grandchild, or great-grandchild, I have to leave the room.

I go outside and sit down on the bench, feeling the warm air on my fur. After ten minutes, I make myself not thinking about the fact that Athena is now the same age Hermes was when he was taken.

"Priya."

It's Perry. He sits down next to me and puts his arm around me.

"Don't worry. We'll get Hermes back someday. Leo has already given me the names of all the facilities that the men could have gone to. We're not going to rest until we get Hermes back."

I look at my mate with tears in my eyes. "But what if they kill him?" I cry. "What if the tests they run kill him? What then?"

"Then at least we will have closure." Perry looks determined. "But that won't happen. We're going to find Hermes before anything terrible happens to him."

"I already hate Athena," I sob. "I wish I didn't but I can't help it. She reminds me too much of Hermes. I can't let Athena grow up with one of her grandparents hating her. What can I do?"

"When she's old enough, we'll explain," replies Perry. "She'll understand."

"How do you know?"

"Because we raised Teddy right and Piper was raised right too." Perry pulls me gently until my head is resting on his shoulder. "And they're going to raise Athena very well, just as well as they're raising Paige."

There's a pause. Then someone else comes out of the house and sits on my other side.

"I'm so sorry," says Sora quietly. "I can't even begin to fathom your agony."

"It's okay," I choke. "It isn't your fault."

"I've begun my training with Xanthe and Jolyon," Sora tells me. "I'm going to make sure that your toil in finding me was not in vain. And I just wanted to say that…if you can find me, I know you can find your son."

"Thank you for believing," I smile weakly. "And I hope you're right."

The three of us stay outside on the bench. We're the only three grandparents that Athena has, but I'm not entirely sure that's not enough. She has two loving parents, uncles and aunts, grandparents, great-grandparents, and family friends who love her.

Then I realise: that's what I have too. I have my mate, my sister (I've come to think of Sora as my sister too), my children and their partners, my great-grandchildren, and my mother, Pearl.

Sure, it'll take me a while, but with such a loving family around me, I will recover. And like Perry said, we won't rest until we find Hermes, dead or (preferably) alive.

I will survive.

…

 **PRIYA WILL SURVIVE!**

 **Thank you for reading this story. Quinn's Decision will be out as soon as I am finished with my newest, untitled (at time of writing) story.**


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